Maval firing: one bullet not from Cops’ gun

In a major development in the Maval firing incident, the forensic report has stated that one of the four bullets, which injured a protesting farmer, has not matched with the police firearms sent to them.

In the incident that took place on August 9 this year, policemen were accused of firing at a mob of protesting farmers on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The ballistic report has also stated that the firing did not take place from close range, as no gunpowder was found on the clothes of the victim. There had been allegations that the policemen had shot at the victims from close range to avenge the stone-pelting on them.

The Maharashtra Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, sent to the police earlier this week, has pointed out that the weapon from which the bullet was fired may have been privately owned as the police does not use the kind of bullet retrieved from the injured farmer.

The finding acquires importance in light of the comments made by state home minister RR Patil soon after the incident that the first bullet on the protestors had been fired from a private vehicle, which led to stone-pelting from the protestors. In spite of repeated calls and SMSes, Shahaji Solunkhe, SP (Pune Rural), was not available for comment.